This season, CFW sees the highest participation of high potential Emerging Designers, a testimony to the development of the next generation of designers will be showcased on 19th March. The showcase will be held at the spectacular 35th floor of One Galle Face Tower, overlooking the magnificent cityscape of Colombo. Under the guidance of CFW, each young designer will also incorporate CFWโs Responsible Meter, where every garment will be given a score based on how responsible, accountable and transparent it is.
Nurturing the next generation of Sri Lankan fashion designers has been the key focus since the inception of HSBC Colombo Fashion Week. The design development system of CFW has always been an integral part of the platform and became an important format for CFW with which to mentor, train and groom the next generation of fashion designers. The โEmerging Designer Showcaseโ focuses on honing the skills of young designers and providing them with a platform to showcase their creative talent.
Since the introduction of this platform, HSBC Colombo Fashion Week has witnessed an increasing number of designers who approach it annually with the intent of launching their career in fashion using it as their platform of choice. Over 90% of both established and up-and-coming designers in the country today began their journey in fashion with CFW. This is a testament to the platformโs authenticity and commitment to engender a self-sustainable infrastructure for emerging designers.
Over the years, the quality of emerging designers has progressively improved and in 2020, we have seen the fruits of these efforts as we had the biggest pool of applicants for emerging designers to date. The calibre of next generation designers has improved tremendously, so much so that we have twice the number of designers showcasing this season, 13 in total, as opposed to just 8 designers which is a considerable improvement.
โItโs been delightful to see 13 high potential young designers showcasing this year. Although our quota for each dayโs showcase is 7, we couldnโt help but select 13 deserving young designers because of the evolved design thinking displayed in their collections. Itโs always exciting to present the next gen as that reflects on the work that has been put in throughout the years into the future. This is a testimony to the design development system that CFW has established and continues to focus year on yearโ said Mr. Ajai Vir Singh, Founder and Managing Director of Colombo Fashion Week.
Each Emerging Designer who will be showcasing has been carefully mentored through the creative process by the CFW mentorship panel to help them refine their skills. Each designer was guided on design thinking, collection planning, fashion marketing, brand presentation and retail feasibility over a period of three months. The collection planning aspect was guided by Upeksha Hager, a senior fashion designer with over a decade of experience in the fashion industry, while the rest of the program including fashion marketing and retail is led by Fazeena Rajabdeen, CEO and Director of Colombo Fashion Week. The program is a result of the overall design development system for Emerging Designers which was crafted by Ajai Vir Singh, Founder and Managing Director of Colombo Fashion Week.
โEstablishing the Next Gen has been one of the objectives of our developmental system since inception. Every year we raise the bar and streamline this platform to adapt and allow more participation in this segment. This season we showcase 13 designers, whose point of view has been nurtured and strengthened to create the future of our fashion systemโ said Fazeena Rajabdeen, CEO and Director of Colombo Fashion Week.
